dive computers and reverse profiles

[Fastmarc]

Maybe they shouldn't, but they do. Maybe I shouldn't turn the valve back off after setting everything up and checking the SPG, but when there's 40 more minutes to wait before the splash, I often do. This is why you take a couple of deep breaths watching the SPG before you splash -- but you knew this already.

If I do decide to turn off the valve during the ride out, I make sure to purge all air out of the line, so the gauge reads zero. At least if you forget, when you look at your gauge pre-splash, it will be clear that it isn't on.

 

[pauldw]

there is a reason no real technical diving is done with Suunto computers.

Oh. I always thought it was because in the realm of black, utilitarian, manly military looking gear, having something aesthetically appealing just wouldn't work!

 

[tbone1004]

Oh. I always thought it was because in the realm of black, utilitarian, manly military looking gear, having something aesthetically appealing just wouldn't work!

all to do with the algorithm unfortunately with Suunto. While we do tend to run with mostly black military looking gear, it's largely because it's what is available and cheap to get. The technical diving world is irrelevantly small, so everything has to be done as basically custom. You'd be surprised at the efforts many of us go to to get accent colors and what not on our gear...
The Teric is definitely aesthetically appealing and anything but "utilitarian" and "military looking"

addendum to my original quote. There are obviously some real technical dives being done with Suunto computers, but the majority of the ones that I know of are being done by people they endorse like Jill Heinerth. Granted, the real dives are all done on rebreathers and none of those have RGBM built into them...

 

[txgoose]

Sometimes a crew member will even sneak up on you from behind and check your valve, after you're standing, getting ready to go. Last thing I do before jumping is to breathe off my reg and watch my SPG. I made this a habit long ago and do not forget it

I have also made it a habit to watch my SPG and two big breaths before splashing. Simply every dive, shore or boat, with a dive operator or not.

I only have experience with five different boat operators and 34 dives with them, but in that experience all of them check valves. Either as they hand you your kit, or as you stand at the rail to stride. I think those divers that claim to _know_ that the DM never touches their valves are overstating their skill at detecting a DM behind their back, that knows how to check a valve without causing a fuss. Sidemount diving aside. If I truly didn't want my valves checked I would want to talk about that before making the reservation and well before the hassle hauling gear to the boat.

Granted I have only dove with operations that came highly recommended and had seasoned staff. If I was running a dive boat operation of good repute, and I couldn't trust my DMs or boat captains to learn the proper turning of a valve from behind the diver, I'd hopefully have already weeded them out and invited them to pursue other employment options. With our Panama City Beach dive operator, I have seen DMs talking with divers and verifying valve configurations on tanks not rented from the operator. But that probably goes back again to seasoned staff.

I'll be honest, I'm torn 50-50 on this one. I can absolutely see the danger in having staff change a diver's valve if they either aren't familiar with a setup, untrained, or otherwise task loaded. I would have other concerns if boat staff were approaching task loading. But I can also see the benefit of having another person (with massively more experience checking gear) be one more set of eyes. I would never want to allow myself to become dependent on a DM to check my stuff. But I'm also a long ways away from telling folks with more experience than me to not help me. I am willing to acknowledge that I may have been lucky with my dive operator selection to date. But will also strive to keep that record going.

 

[dmaziuk]

Someone help me with this. Assume I'm a rec diver. And assume I don't know anything. But wait, I repeat myself. Anyway, does this reflect DIR/cave divers predilections for thinking their brains are smarter than computers, or is there a genuine reason why I should throw away my Suunto Fused RGBM 2 using Eon Core?

Somewhere on Suunto's website there was a picture showing its decompression profile closely matching that of ZH-L@10/90. 10/90 is out of fashion these days so if you're doing decompression dives you may want to replace it.

If you're doing no-stop rec dives, it won't make any difference. Keep it.

 

[saxman242]

Somewhere on Suunto's website there was a picture showing its decompression profile closely matching that of ZH-L@10/90. 10/90 is out of fashion these days so if you're doing decompression dives you may want to replace it.

If you're doing no-stop rec dives, it won't make any difference. Keep it.

This is from their fused RGBM literature:

 

[tbone1004]

Somewhere on Suunto's website there was a picture showing its decompression profile closely matching that of ZH-L@10/90. 10/90 is out of fashion these days so if you're doing decompression dives you may want to replace it.

If you're doing no-stop rec dives, it won't make any difference. Keep it.

Correct, I think it may have been Simon Mitchell, but may have been the guys from Duke Hyperbarics and DAN that were saying they're running 60/70 right now. That's a FAR cry from 10/90...

 

[kelemvor]

EDIT: By the way, it seems like these valve indicator knobs would more or less solve this problem. Do people use these things?
View attachment 582130

I use them on all my tanks except my oxygen tank, just because I haven't gotten around to swapping yet. Unfortunately, you don't ever see them on rental tanks. It wouldn't be too hard to install them on the way to the dive site but then you've got to remember to remove them after. I could see forgetting and losing them if you tried that. I already donate a new O-ring on every tank. Caveat: the only places I've gone where I had to use rental tanks are Cozumel (Dive Paradise) and Roatan (Anthony's Key). Neither of those operations used vindicator handwheels.

 

[pauldw]

This is from their fused RGBM literature:

That's not Fused RGBM 2?

 

[saxman242]

That's not Fused RGBM 2?

No, just the regular fused RGBM. I can't find the same graph in their literature for Fused RGBM 2